Method and Device for Filling Containers

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a device and a method for filling containers such as crates with products, such as glass objects, eggs etc. The device herein comprises a filling station with a setup position for placing the container with the bottom thereof. There is also a feed which during operation feeds at least one of the products at a time to the setup position and is adapted to place the at least one of the products in the container. The method comprises of corresponding operations. 
     In order to achieve an optimum fill factor of the container and prevent breakage of and/or damage to the products as far as possible, the device and the method are respectively distinguished by a fluid flow generator adapted to generate a fluid flow during operation through the bottom of the container and by generating the fluid flow through the bottom of the container.

The present invention relates to a method and a device for filling containers such as crates and (incubator) boxes with products, particularly but not exclusively products susceptible to breakage or damage or bruising, such as glass objects, vegetables such as tomatoes, fruit such as apples, eggs etc.

It is known for this purpose that a device and a method provide features as according to the preamble of the independent claims relating respectively to a device and a method.

With a known device and method a number of eggs can for instance be picked up simultaneously by the feed, which can then be formed from a number of suction cups for picking up and placing eggs in the container, for instance an incubator box. The eggs are then preferably pre-sorted, although this is not a prerequisite for the present invention. The feed can be a (programmable) robot arm or fixed mechanical conveyor.

When picked-up products are placed in the container damage can occur if the products are placed with some force onto each other. Piling up can also occur in the container, i.e. smaller or larger accumulations of the products, when the products can roll (such as apples, tomatoes, eggs, glass objects), while the feed does not take this into account, or insufficiently so, when determining the location for placing of a subsequent product or a subsequent load of products into the container.

The present invention has for its object to obviate or at least considerably alleviate the problems or shortcomings of the known art, or at least bring about an improvement relative to the known art, for which purpose a device and/or a method are distinguished from the known art by the features defined in the characterizing parts of the independent claims.

Products are distributed in surprising manner over the bottom of the container by generating an airflow, this even when round products roll over the bottom of the container and/or the feed stacks products on top of each other. Still more surprisingly it has been found that according to the invention breakage of or damage to the products can be almost wholly avoided. The airflow functions as cushion between the bottom of the container and the products to be placed thereon, but also between the products themselves. This makes the intention highly suitable for application with fragile, breakable or costly products, even when a fill factor to be achieved in a container is not important, or less important, during filling of the container with the products.

The present invention has diverse embodiments, to which the scope of protection for the invention is not limited, such as those defined by way of example in the dependent claims.

A device according to the invention further comprises for instance at least one gripper which, during operation of the fluid flow generator, acts on the container to hold the container stationary in the fluid flow at the setup position. Containers can thus be held in stationary position in the fluid flow so as to enable the products to be deposited therein with the feed, and the container can be prevented from displacing in the fluid flow. The gripper can also be formed such that a succession of containers can be moved along or through the setup position in a direction of movement, or be displaced in this direction and temporarily held still at the setup position in both the direction of movement and the direction of the fluid flow. After filling of the container with the products the gripper can be adapted to actively release the containers, or the containers can, after being filled, move further under a kind of stop and a subsequent container can be carried in the direction of forward movement to the setup position to be partially or wholly filled.

A device according to the invention can further comprise: a control acting during operation at least on the fluid flow generator for the purpose of adjusting the force of the fluid flow at the position of the container. The force of a generated fluid flow can thus be set to a desired level. The control is preferably adapted here to set the force of the fluid flow subject to a weight of the products to be placed in the container at the setup position. The fluid flow then acquires a force preferably lower than that at which damage could be caused to the products. Additionally or alternatively, the force of the fluid flow can be selected so as to cause the products to float at or just above the bottom of the container. This is therefore a lower value of the force of the fluid flow at which floating is only just realized. It is precisely this floating of the products in the fluid flow which is found to have a highly advantageous effect in achieving an optimum fill factor and/or limiting or even minimizing and/or eliminating breakage or damage, particularly in the case of eggs, apples, tomatoes or glass objects or similar products.

In order to enable effective movement of the fluid flow along the products and in particular between them, it is favourable in an embodiment of the invention that at least one opening is arranged in the setup position and the bottom of the container for passage of the fluid flow. An incubator box for eggs usually already has passages, so such an application is highly suitable for use in combination with the newly added measures according to the invention of the fluid flow generator in combination with the likewise new passages at the setup position.

In yet another embodiment a device according to the present invention can have the feature that the fluid flow is an airflow and the fluid flow generator is an airflow generator such as a fan. Although a water, gas or other flow is by no means precluded from the scope of the present invention, it is however noted that an airflow is highly suitable for application of the present invention, precisely because of the wide availability of air as source material for the fluid flow generator and because no provisions need be made to collect, recycle or otherwise have to or need to process source material that has been used.

Yet another embodiment of a device according to the invention can have the feature that the fluid flow generator is arranged under the setup position and is adapted to blow the fluid flow through the setup position. This is particularly advantageous when the feed delivers the products from above. An embodiment can nevertheless also be envisaged wherein the fluid flow generator is on the other hand arranged above the setup position and is adapted to suction up the fluid flow through the setup position.

The invention will be further elucidated hereinbelow on the basis of a limited number of exemplary embodiments thereof which, just as the dependent claims, should not be understood or interpreted as limiting the protection of the invention, wherein in the various views and exemplary embodiments the same reference numerals are applied for the same or similar parts, components and elements, and in which:

FIG. 1 shows a schematic and perspective view of a device according to the present invention, likewise embodying aspects of a method according to the present invention;

FIG. 2-5 show various stages in the placing of products in a container;

FIG. 6, 7 show perspective and top views of a final result of the stages shown in FIGS. 2-5 of filling a container with the products.

FIG. 1 shows a perspective and schematic view of a device 1 for filling one container at a time in the form of an incubator box 8 with products in the form of eggs 6, on a bottom 12 thereof.

Device 1 comprises a filling station 11 with a setup position 15 for placing of box 8 with the bottom 12 thereof on setup position 15.

The device further comprises a feed 16 which during operation feeds at least one of the products at a time to setup position 15 and is adapted to place the at least one of the products into container 8. The feed comprises a robot with a gripper arm 2 on a housing 3. Provided in housing 3 (or elsewhere) is a vacuum pump (not shown) from which a conduit (not shown) runs to a platform 4 on the free outer end of gripper arm 2. Arranged on platform 4 are suction cups 5 which, using underpressure generated with the vacuum pump (not shown), are each able to pick up, displace and place an egg 6 in box 8. All that is necessary for such placing is that the underpressure be relieved when eggs 6 have reached the destination thereof at the bottom 12 of box 8. Arm 2 makes for this purpose a reciprocating movement between a source of eggs (not shown) and setup position 15. Box 8 is supplied to setup position 15 over guides 7 or rails.

A succession of boxes 8 can thus be carried along or over setup position 15 and temporarily held still at the setup position so as to be filled with eggs. Filling Station 11 at setup position 15 comprises a hollow housing on which a fan 10 is arranged, which fan forms the fluid flow generator, in particular an airflow generator.

Housing 11 is open at the top as shown in FIGS. 2-5, and box 8 comprises passages 17 to allow an airflow 13 generated by fan 10 during operation to flow through the open top side of housing 11 and through passages 17.

When fan 10 is in operation (FIG. 3) the airflow 13 is activated, wherein eggs 6 already lying on the bottom of box 8 begin to float a short distance 14 above bottom 12 of box 8. Eggs set down by the gripper arm are taken up in airflow 13. This of course depends on the weight of eggs 6 in combination with the force of the generated airflow 13. From suction cups 5 on platform 4 of gripper arm 2 eggs 6 are then set down (FIG. 4) a short distance above bottom 12 of box 8 and taken up in airflow 13, and gripper arm 2 moves away (FIG. 4-FIG. 5). As a result of the force of airflow 13, which is in opposite direction to the eggs 6 set down above it, the eggs 6 set down on the bottom of the box are all distributed optimally over the bottom 12 of box 8 so as to bring about an optimal fill factor of box 8 as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, and breakage of or damage to eggs 6 is also reduced, if not countered or even wholly avoided. Nor do the eggs collide with each other, or hardly so, precisely because of the airflow 13 flowing between them.

After examination of the description in the foregoing and in conjunction with the drawings, many alternative and additional embodiments and examples will occur to the skilled person, all of which must be deemed as lying within the scope of protection defined by the claims, unless such variants depart essentially in letter or spirit from the definitions of the invention in these claims. It is thus possible within the scope of the present invention that containers are filled with products other than eggs (such as glasses or other possibly fragile objects), that the products can be placed one by one into the containers and that a feed other than a gripper arm with suction cups can be applied for the purpose of placing the products in the container. The airflow required to protect the products from each other and the container can also be realized from above on the basis of suction, although it will then be necessary to take more account of relative positioning of the feed and the fluid flow generator if the feed also operates on or at the top side of the container. In another or the shown and described embodiment an aligning effect can also be realized, according to which the eggs can come to lie with a longitudinal axis upward in the container (eggs are oval or at least elongate). This would result in an optimum fill factor. Alternatively, the eggs can come to lie with the longitudinal axis thereof flat in the container. Additionally or alternatively, a single fan or air pump can be applied to provide vacuum to the suction cups on the gripper arm and to generate the airflow through the bottom of the container. The fluid flow can also comprise a water flow, a gas flow or the like. The robot arm shown in the figures is only an example, and a mechanical conveyor can be applied instead. 

1. A device for filling a container at a time, on a bottom thereof with products, comprising: a filling station with a setup position for placing the container with the bottom thereof; a feed operative to feed at least one of the products at a time to the setup position and adapted to place the at least one of the products in the container; and a fluid flow generator adapted to generate a fluid flow during operation through the bottom of the container at the setup position.
 2. The device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising at least one gripper which, during operation of the fluid flow generator, acts on the container to hold the container stationary in the fluid flow at the setup position.
 3. The device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a control operator to act during operation at least on the fluid flow generator to adjust the force of the fluid flow at the position of the container.
 4. The device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the control is adapted to set the force of the fluid flow subject to a weight of the products to be placed in the container at the setup position.
 5. The device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the force of the fluid flow can be selected so as to cause the products to float at or just above the bottom of the container.
 6. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one opening is arranged in the setup position and the bottom of the container for passage of the fluid flow.
 7. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fluid flow is an airflow and the fluid flow generator is an airflow generator such as a fan.
 8. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fluid flow generator is arranged under the setup position and is adapted to blow the fluid flow through the setup position.
 9. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fluid flow generator is arranged above the setup position and is adapted to suction up the fluid flow through the setup position.
 10. A method for filling a container at a time, such as a crate or an incubator box on a bottom thereof with products such as glass objects or eggs, comprising: placing the container with the bottom at a setup position; feeding at least one of the products at a time to the setup position and placing the at least one of the products in the container; and generating a fluid flow through the bottom of the container.
 11. The method as claimed in claim 10, further comprising gripping the container at the setup position during generation of the fluid flow.
 12. The method as claimed in claim 10, further comprising adjusting the force of the fluid flow subject to a weight of the products to be placed in the container at the setup position.
 13. The method as claimed in claim 12, comprising setting the force of the fluid flow so as to cause the products to float at or just above the bottom of the container.
 14. A filling station for filling a container at a time on a bottom thereof with products, having a setup position for placing the container with the bottom thereof, wherein the filling station is, at least in use, combined with a feed which during operation feeds at least one of the products at a time to the setup position and is adapted to place the at least one of the products in the container; adapted to be combined with a fluid flow generator adapted to generate a fluid flow during operation through the bottom of the container at the setup position; and a fluid flow generator adapted to generate a fluid flow during operation through the bottom of the container at the setup position. 